Threshold

Threshold honors the former Des Moines mayor, Tom Urban, Jr. Artist Juanjo Novella was inspired by the stories of Fred Weitz, an architect and a longtime friend of the former mayor. The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation commissioned the artwork on behalf of Urban’s friends and family for the collection at the Botanical Center.

At age 33, Urban became the youngest mayor of Des Moines and dedicated his business life to Pioneer Hi-Bred. As CEO and Chairman, he guided Pioneer to become a leading force in agricultural progress throughout the world. Tom was one of four individuals who, from 2009 to 2013, endeavored to establish a new botanical garden in Des Moines. Tom’s leadership was key to their success in launching this Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

The 16-foot-tall steel leaf is the nucleus of the Founders Garden of the Botanical Center. The statue is a leaf from the Combretacae family of plants, which is known for having simple leaf structures and can be found on the maple or oak trees of Iowa. “From a distance, [the work] appears to be a delicate leaf that may have floated through the air and gently landed in the dry meadow,” Novella said in a prepared statement. “It stands as a towering, twisted form made of iron. Its lace-like surface of veins gives form to a dramatic Combretaceae leaf.”

Threshold is an arch it is meant to serve as a passageway or a door between worlds. “There is something barely perceptible but magical in the fact of crossing a door, of passing a threshold.” The artist says on his website, “This was the sense that was pursued in this project, as well as for it to be a coherent piece in future extensions of the park.”